ARTICLES ABOUT COUNTRY CLUB HILLS BY DATE - PAGE 2

A 47-year-old man has been charged in the beating death of his wife in their Country Club Hills home over the weekend, police said today. Taft Hayden was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mary E. Hayden, 42, Country Club Hills Police said in a statement. Hayden is expected to appear in bond court on Wednesday, police said. Mary Hayden was pronounced dead on Sunday and an autopsy conducted Monday determined that she had been beaten and died of head injuries caused by blunt head trauma during an assault., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

By Jennifer Delgado and Carlos Sadovi and Tribune reporters | December 30, 2013

Country Club Hills police have a person of interest in custody after a 42-year-old woman was found beaten to death in the south suburb, authorities said today. Mary Hayden, of the 4500 block of West 179 th Street in the suburb, was pronounced dead at 8:21 a.m. Sunday at her home, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death was listed as a homicide after officials said she sustained head trauma in an assault. The city's public safety director, Bill Brown, said charges may be filed later today.

A south suburban woman faces felony charges after she tried to bring a loaded gun onto an airplane Saturday at Midway Airport. Josephine M. Coleman, 35, of Country Club Hills, was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail Sunday in Cook County Bond Court. Coleman was arrested Saturday after authorities found a handgun with seven live rounds in her carry-on bag. Coleman, a military veteran who her attorney said is currently pursuing a master's degree, was booked on a flight to San Antonio, Tex., according to court records.

A former longtime Chicago police lieutenant pleaded guilty today to participating in a mortgage fraud scheme involving a Northwest Side real estate mogul and a crooked former suburban police chief. Erroll Davis, 52, choked up as he entered his guilty plea in federal court to one count of making false statements in a tax return. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan that Davis faces 12 to 18 months in prison when he is sentenced next year, but they would recommend a lighter sentence if he continues to cooperate with law enforcement.

A Northwest Side real estate agent and former banker has been arrested on fraud charges in an alleged scheme to hoodwink his own bank into illegally lending $650,000 to a Chicago police lieutenant for the purchase of an apartment building, then keeping a large chunk of the cash for himself. Robert Michael, 62, an owner of Michael Realty and former CEO of the now-defunct Citizens Bank and Trust, was indicted on one count each of bank fraud, making false statements to a bank, and money laundering.

In response to Dennis Byrne's “ Time to dump the standardized tests ,” (News, Nov. 12): Eliminating standardized tests from Chicago schools would provide valuable classroom time for students. However, without the results of student test scores, there would be no way to compare schools and students. Standardized tests shouldn't be eliminated; they need to be reformed. There needs to be a change in the current assessments that allows students to prove their creativity, imagination and knowledge of technology.

Ed White had hundreds of dollars garnished by the state to cover portions of old parking fines the forklift operator had already paid. So did real estate agent Siobhan Robinson. And janitorial worker Linda Abate. They were among the scores of suburban drivers the Tribune has found were overcharged for old parking tickets while the state turned a blind eye to warnings of people being gouged. The newspaper analyzed hundreds of pages of records from several communities and found more than 130 cases in which vehicle owners had their balances boosted without explanation by a collection firm used by the suburbs.

Some south suburban officials are hoping to bring casino cash to the entire region no matter where a gambling venue may end up. A revenue sharing proposal for a potential south suburban casino would divide a portion of gaming profits among 42 south suburbs based on need, said Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch. It would hedge the bets of the several towns seeking a casino, giving everyone a slice of the casino-cash pie no matter where the facility is built. The plan - to be explained to invited suburban officials in a private meeting Thursday - does not include a specific location for a gambling venue, Welch said.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon was run without incident Sunday as tighter but by no means suffocating security did little to scare off runners or subdue the raucous street party bubbling along the 26.2-mile racecourse. Police and event organizers instituted new safety measures after the bombings that marred April's Boston Marathon, but the essential character of the race remained unchanged. Some runners and spectators said they were grateful for the heightened scrutiny, while others said they barely noticed it. "It's good that you don't see the presence because that makes people uncomfortable," said Kelly Kane, who was cheering on runners in Old Town with few uniformed police officers in sight.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon was run without incident Sunday as tighter but by no means suffocating security did little to scare off runners or subdue the raucous street party bubbling along the 26.2-mile racecourse. Police and event organizers instituted new safety measures after the bombings that marred April's Boston Marathon, but the essential character of the race remained unchanged. Some runners and spectators said they were grateful for the heightened scrutiny, while others said they barely noticed it. "It's good that you don't see the presence because that makes people uncomfortable," said Kelly Kane, who was cheering on runners in Old Town with few uniformed police officers in sight.